BWW Reviews: EVITA Brings a New Argentina to DC's Kennedy Center

There are few shows I know every word to, and even fewer I've known for 30 years. When I was 10, I was in the chorus of a community theatre production of EVITA in Hingham, MA. I became obsessed. In 5th grade, we had to do a biographical report on anyone we chose. All the other boys chose Babe Ruth, Abraham Lincoln, Ted Williams...I threw up my hand and shouted "Eva Perón!" The black and white covered vinyl double album became my own personal soundtrack. And I was somehow surprised that people knew I was gay.

Needless to say, I was thrilled when my friend Max von Essen told me he'd be playing Magaldi in the Broadway revival. The re-imagining was beautiful and I was happy to see Max (who was also understudying Ricky Martin), go on for Ché. While I wasn't as big a fan of Elena Roger's Eva, the production itself forged some new ground while paying homage to Hal Prince's original staging.

It's that same production whose tour is winding down at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, and it's truly first rate. Evita tells the story of Eva Duarte de Perón, one of Argentina's most beloved and reviled first ladies. Eva used her charisma and looks to fight her way from the slums of the South American country to the Casa Rosada - Argentina's presidential palace. In her short 6 years as the wife of Juan Perón, Eva became one of the most powerful women in the world. A champion of the poor and working class, Eva gave them something they'd never had before - hope. Unfortunately, her greed and ambition frequently overshadowed the good work she was doing to aid the downtrodden.

We're led through Eva's story by Che, a voice of the people named after the Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara. Acting as a foil to Eva, Che is our narrator as well as the conscience of the Argentine people.

As Eva, Caroline Bowman has enormous shoes to fill. This is arguably one of the most challenging roles in musical theatre - a role that turned Patti LuPone into a theatrical legend. Bowman's Eva brought a new humanity to the role I haven't seen before. At times you're terrified of her, and others, you identify with her strong desire to make life better for others. And then, just when you least expect it, you find yourself sympathizing with her breathless ambition. While Bowman's voice is stunning on the score, it's her careful and thoughtful interpretation of songs I've heard hundreds of times that impressed me the most, making me love Eva all over again.

And in the tradition of bringing new things to their roles, Max Quinlan takes on Che beautifully. While in the past, I've seen and enjoyed a sexual tension between Eva and Che, Quinlan presented us with a bit less complication, but far more rebellion. It also helps that Quinlan's broad and soaring tenor voice is seemingly made for this score.

While Sean McLaughlin brings a powerful baritone to Perón, his take on the role left me a bit cold. It's a tough role with little in the script to allow for chemistry between him and Eva, but there needed to be more to justify his guttural scream upon Eva's death. That being said, I'd pay good money to see him play the Phantom one day.

The supporting cast is also strong, especially Christopher Johnstone as Magaldi. One change made for the revival was the removal of a children's choir which appeared once or twice in the original. Their big number and clearly one of the most important in the show (or so I thought when I sang it at the age of 10) is "Santa Evita." It was a nice change to hear Alison Mahoney and Matt Stokes deliver it perfectly.

30 years later, I'm glad to find myself just as in love with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's score and even more enthralled with Eva and her story.

EVITA runs through October 19th in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets may be purchased online or in-person at the Kennedy Center Box Office.

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